An unlikely muse

They bring death on their wings, flying low near roadkill and cawing in packs to announce dawn, to warn the ghosts of night that daylight is coming. They’re black, mean, and more intelligent than most people on TV. Huge, too, with wings that go from here to there. Love them crows, always have.

I’m so happy to have found a home for all their feathers cluttering my head – Land in Abyss, the first of the Wanderlust series, flies on crows’ wings. It’s also great to have waited for the perfect project to explore the dark bird, and since I’m also on the lookout for inspiration, I realized I didn’t have to go too far.

Entre Ciel et Terre, mix media on canvas, 16” X 16”

An artist friend of mine is also exploring crows through her work. I ask her why and she says, ‘‘I relate to the Amerindian view of the bird’s sacred side, a guardian of magic, creator of light, fire and water. The crow symbolizes reason, the messenger to our subconscious inviting us to look into the great below to find answers to our questions.’’

Marie Claprood has been painting for more than twenty years, has participated in international solo and group expositions, her pieces sold all over Canada, the United States and Japan. Through the years, she’s been dipping her brushes into environmental issues, so dear to her heart, trying to put into images the interrelation between Nature and Man. In constant evolution with her paintings, she now explores crows after having expressed the bird nest, the horizon line, and the tree on her canvases.

I tell her the crow is so dark, often reminds us of what lurks in the night. She says, ‘‘We all have a dark side, it’s part of human nature. Everyone has bugs they’d rather not see and confront, but if we avoid our dark side, it will catch up sooner or later… To confront our dark side frees us to move forward in our lives.’’

I love her work and enjoy her friendship, stop by her website and discover Marie Claprood’s fascinating world.

6 responses to “An unlikely muse”

Thanks for the rec anne. I”ve been fascinated with them for years especially when we looked after them when we had injured Crows and Ravens in. (My Dad was an RSPCA Inspector.) They were very cool and one kept returning for years (we knew it was him as he had some white feathers.)

I’m OBSESSED by them – they are so mysterious and creepy-in-a-good-way! When I was a child, our neighbor had one who kept landing on my pram. No question where my fascination with those birds started:) *jealous* by the way, I want one to adopt me, too.

I watched this REALLY fascinating Nature of Things about crows. Did you know that they can recognize a person for life – and even pass that knowledge onto offspring – after only seeing them once? There’s a crow that caws when I arrive at work most mornings, so I always make sure I politely nod back. Okay, now that’s sounding crazy . . .

But also, crows might be smarter even than chimps. They can use a tool, to get a tool, to get another tool, to get food. Wow!

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